Jackson POV
"YOU wanna go and see whether the Red Hair Pirates are tough? Courting death!"
Uta spoke word for word what was on my mind. Of course, there was no way Ace would let her remarks slide without bickering even though she was absolutely right. Sabo could only shake his head, whereas Luffy found them to be hilarious.
I on the other hand moved towards Party's pub without waiting for the others, feeling quite sure I'll find Shanks there. And right on the call, as soon as Party's pub was visible, loud music, laughter and other noises became impossible not to hear.
The inside was even more like I imagined it to be. Drinks were being poured nonstop at almost every table, with many talks and discussions and singing contests(?) taking place at the same time. Everyone seemed to have a good time together, be it the local village drunks or the friendly looking pirates, no status mattered after sharing a few cold beer or cheap wines.
Barely anyone paid any attention to me. 'Just a tall brat that wandered into a pub!' Those who did notice me probably thought something along those lines but it mattered little, for my goal was the red-haired drunk with a foolishly wide grin on his face, right at the bar counter.
I took the seat right next to him and suddenly nearly choked. All the smell of rum in this place seemed to originate from Shanks alone, who finally glanced in my direction.
'Damn pirate, did you bath in a barrel full of rum?!' He paused his mug halfway to his mouth and blinked down at me. The slight confusion on his face lasted only a second before he initiated the interaction.
"Hey now, what's a child doing here? Haven't you heard from the villagers that this place has been practically taken over by pirates for the last 2 days? Do your parents know you are in here?" His tone sounded almost teasing, like he wanted any kind of reaction just to see if this child in front of him knowingly wandered into a pub full of pirates.
"I am not from this village and my parents are already dead. Besides where else would a pirate be if not in a pub full of pirates?" Of course, if I had taken my time to wander around for a bit, at least a few people would have either talked about them or straight up warned me to stay away, but would that have changed my mind?
"You don't mean yourself when you say pirate, do you?"
"Yes, I do? Portgas D. Jackson's the name. I may have no crew, no ship and no reputation at the moment but be aware that I will be the greatest pirate in the world. My legacy and treasures shall one day dwarf even Gol D. Roger's One Piece!"
"…Portgas D?"
Absolute and absolutely uncomfortable silence grasped the room. Shanks looked at me for a second, then for another before rolling laughter thundered from nearly every table around us. I didn't mind it one bit though. It would be actually way crazier if they believed what I just said. Only their captain didn't laugh. Sure, he still had his lazy half grin half smirk on his lips and kind of began staring a bit intensely but he at least didn't laugh.
"What? Got awestruck by my Dream?"
"You could say that?" Shanks murmured, his lazy grin slowly fading from his face. "The man you want to surpass… his 'legacy' if you can call it that, isn't just about fame or treasures. It's a burden yet to be reached by anyone out on the seas, much less surpassed. Do you really believe YOU will pull it off?"
"And what business of yours would that be? If I say I will do it then I will do it. Simple."
Before Shanks could even formulate a response to my sheer audacity, the heavy wooden doors of Party's Pub were practically kicked off their hinges.
"I'm telling you, I could wipe the floor with half your crew with my eyes closed!" Ace's voice echoed through the sudden quiet of the bar, completely oblivious to reality as so often the case.
"In your dreams, freckles!" Uta shot back, marching right beside him with her hands on her hips. "You'd start bawling the second one of them drew a real sword!"
"Wanna bet?!"
Behind them, Sabo dragged his feet, rubbing his temples like an exhausted old man, while Luffy darted past all of them. The younger boy's eyes practically shone with stars as he stared at the heavily armed men around the tables.
Ace didn't even spare me a glance. Instead, he marched right up to a table where a particularly large pirate was chewing on a comically huge piece of meat on a bone, and slammed his small hands on the wood.
"Hey! I'm Ace!" he declared, puffing his chest out. "Which one of you cowards wants to get their butt kicked first? Don't think you can look down on me just because I'm a kid!"
For a brief, suspended second, the dangerous pirates stared blankly at the angry nine-year-old. Then, the entire pub erupted. It wasn't the mocking laughter from before; it was genuine, roaring amusement.
"Look at the tough guy!"
"Careful, Lucky, he might bite your ankles!"
"Somebody get this terrifying warrior a glass of juice before he attacks!"
Ace turned red with fury, drawing his pipe, which only made the crew laugh harder.
Next to me, however, Shanks hadn't joined in the laughter. His eyes darted from me to the screaming boy in the centre of the room.
"Ace..." Shanks muttered, the name rolling off his tongue as if testing its weight. He looked at my face, then at Ace's, taking in our identical features, our age, and the undeniable, stubborn fire in our eyes.
I couldn't read minds, but sitting right next to him, I felt invisible gears turning at full speed. The lazy, drunken haze slowly melted from his posture, replaced by a profound, almost melancholic thought. A ghost of a memory seemed to flash across his features, and he took a long, slow drag from his rum, his gaze fixed intensely on the two of us. He didn't utter another word about my dream, but the way he looked at me had fundamentally changed.
It seemed like our names made people, who knew our father well, doubt coincidences. And so, the day continued with a bunch of drunks, having fun ragebaiting Ace.
----
The next morning
Ace and I were on our way to the forest clearing, where we usually trained with Sabo. The one we once took Luffy to, after he continually begged us for 2 whole days. Just this time it wasn't only Sabo waiting there. Luffy and Uta were busy with another stupid challenge, playing next to Lucky Roux, who was happily stuffing himself with a goat's leg while sitting on a stump.
Benn Beckman was leaning against a large oak, quietly puffing on a cigarette, and right in the centre sat Shanks, waving at them with a wide, comical grin.
"Yo! You made it!" Shanks called out, raising a half-empty bottle of water as if toasting their arrival.
"What the- How the hell did you find us? Did you stalk us?" Ace wasn't too happy to see any of them after yesterday. No matter how much he provoked or challenged them, no one took him the least bit seriously.
"Relax we didn't stalk no one. We just- "
"I brought them along since I wanted to train with you guys!" Luffy cut in, looking expectantly as if he wanted to be praised. Poor boy only got 2 smacks form Ace and a defeated groan from Sabo.
Shanks burst into loud laughter, slapping his knee at the display. "He's got spirit, that's for sure! Anyway, don't look so angry, Ace. Since we crashed your secret training spot, I figured we could give you guys a few pointers. Consider it an apology for the crew laughing at you yesterday."
"I don't need your pointers! And I don't need your apologies!" Ace snapped, bringing his metal pipe up and pointing it straight at the red-haired captain. "I just need you to stand up so I can kick your ass!"
"Careful now," Benn Beckman warned lazily from his spot against the oak, though he didn't make a move to intervene. He just exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Captain isn't good in holding back."
"Perfect!" Ace roared, fully prepared to charge.
"Hold on, Ace."
I stepped in front of my hot-headed twin, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ace glared at me, ready to argue, but I ignored him and locked eyes with Shanks. The pirate captain was still sitting casually, but the amusement in his eyes had sharpened slightly.
"You want to give us pointers?" I asked, as I remembered something about my cheat. "Fine. But I'm not interested in a lesson. I want a bet."
Shanks raised an eyebrow, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. "A bet? With a nine-year-old? Why would I?"
"A spar," I stated clearly, making sure Beckman and Roux heard it too. "Me versus you. If I win, you have to agree to do me one favour."
"No way, seriously why would I?" Shanks asked, looking uninterested.
"On your next voyage take us with you."
Silence fell over the clearing. Lucky Roux stopped chewing. Sabo's jaw dropped, and even Ace forgot his anger for a second, staring at me as if I had grown a second head. Only Luffy looked amazed, his eyes sparkling.
"I don't take kids on my ship." For the first time he sounded serious while answering.
"What's with her?" I pointed to Uta, who for some reason sheepishly took a step back.
"Don't you know that one's own children are always the exception?"
"How would I? You see my daughter running around anywhere?"
"…"
"Man, what a letdown. Who would have guessed that Gol D. Roger's former crew members were such rigid joy kills." With one provocation his look changed. And it wasn't just Shanks.
"What… did you just say?" I heard Ace mumble from behind me, even Ben and Lucky seemed surprised. Probably more by me knowing about it, than anything else but I felt I had to provoke him at least this much.
Shanks was weirdly serious about his no children aboard rule, which was not good for me. I hadn't really planned it out beforehand but I remembered that the bonus quests to boost my template synchronization speed were halted until I got off of this island. Of course, at first, I tried things like swimming out far enough or rowing with a boat, but nothing triggered any effect. So why not join an actual pirate voyage with a likeable crew and see if it helps?
"How do you know that?" Shanks asked. Somehow, he didn't look rattled at all by my provocation.
"Win, and I'll tell you."
"Fine." He drew his blade. "Get one good hit in and it is your win."